Assault suspect sought at Atlantic Beach

A search for a violent man in one of Jacksonville's safest areas. Concerned residents tell News4Jax what they're doing to stay safe.

ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. -

Atlantic Beach police released a sketch Wednesday of a man they said tried to sexually assault a woman at One Ocean Resort two weeks ago.

According to the incident report, the woman said she was confronted by an attacker in the gym area of the resort between 5:15 and 5:50 a.m. on Aug. 14. She said the attacker tried to sexually assault her.

The victim described the suspect as a black man of medium build in his late 20s to early 30s. He was between 5 feet 10 and 6 feet 2 inches tall and had shoulder-length braided hair. He was last seen wearing a dark short-sleeved shirt and long pants, possibly similar to a hotel uniform, and was wearing black, low-cut work boots.

He was last seen running east from 1 Ocean Blvd. toward the beach.

If apprehended, he will face charges of abduction and simple assault.

Many long-time residents in Atlantic Beach told News4Jax they believe this is an isolated incident and trust the police will catch up to the suspect soon.

“I feel very confident in my surroundings, and the people that are here, the locals, are so incredible,” Atlantic Beach resident Emily Parish said. “I don’t feel threatened about it. I don’t feel scared.”

But many in Atlantic Beach were scared after learning police are searching for a suspect in an attempted sexual assault.

“From a woman’s standpoint, to know that you still have to be on alert in a place that you would normally believe would be safe, and I think people in the resort took all of the precautions to make it safe, and yet these types of things happen. So it makes us all nervous,” Atlantic Beach resident Jean Francis said.

One Ocean Resort released this statement to News4Jax: "We are in full cooperation with the local authorities as they conduct their ongoing investigation. The safety and security of our associates and our guests remain of the utmost importance."

Anyone having information about this suspect is asked to contact the Atlantic Beach Police Department at 904-247-5859.

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